The Walking Dead: Episode one
by caged-angel-writez
Summary: The apocalypse would be enough to render most men's lives pointless but for Jack, it gives him reason to keep pushing. Not only will Jack's life draw to a close if he fails, but so will that of Emma, his younger sister who he has took in as his own. Based off Telltalegames series "The Walking Dead." This story will only include episode one, other episodes will be separate.
1. Chapter 1

The sun reflected off the asphalt, creating familiar heat waves along the horizon. A rusty pick-up truck, an older one by the looks and sound of it, drove along the road in occasionally disturbed silence, passing other cars every few minutes. A young man sat in the driver's seat, his sunglasses pushed up onto the top of his head forcing his white hair to brush back. His blue eyes stared ahead blankly as the radio softly echoed inside the vehicle.

His parents had given him a call the night before, asking if he would be able to drive over to watch his younger sister while they went to Savannah for a conference. He of course agreed to watch the eight year old. He told them he'd be there around Wednesday as he had work Monday and Tuesday. His mother told him they'd get their neighbor Sandra to watch her until then and if he couldn't come she would take care of it. He smiled to himself at the thought of seeing Emma again; he wondered how much she had grown. He moved out about a year ago and he was rather busy with work and did not have much time to visit. Since his most of his week was free, he thought driving out was a good idea.

His posture straightened as a police car drove past him with its sirens blaring. He didn't think anything of it at first as it was a common sight, but when a half dozen more drove by not even a minute later he knew something had to be up. He pushed down on the gas a little more, his truck's engine complaining loudly. He sighed, rolling his eyes at the noise. Of course.

The sight of a police force helicopter flying overhead made him take his attention away from the road and when he finally looked back, it was too late. A man, or what he guessed it was a man, collided with the hood of his pickup and he swerved off the road and through the guardrail. It didn't stop there as his truck rolled down the small hill a few times before stopping at the edge of the forest. The man on the road continued walking while Jack lay lifeless in the vehicle.

When he opened his eyes he could see shadows against the orange sky, the sun was setting. How long had he been out? He closed his eyes again to take a deep breath and calm himself. "You're okay Jack…you're okay…" He muttered. The truck had taken a nice bit of damage. The paint scratched off, dents left in the sides, and the windshield cracked along with the windows, only a few shards had actually fallen out. He heard noises from outside. He opened his eyes again, and moved slightly to unbuckle his seatbelt, mentally thanking himself for putting it on.

He felt a thump against the passenger side; and looked up to see some sort of creature. His eyes widened and he gasped, backing up as much as he could. The thing was half-decomposed and trying to gnaw its way through the broken window, it left a layer of sickly brown ooze along the surface. Jack winced in disgust, it was dead, or at least it looked to be. The skin was hanging off its face and he could see the muscle tissue moving below it. The thing was trying to break its way into the pickup, starting to knock its hands against the already shattered glass.

The blue-eyed boy moved to open the glove box; he reached inside and pulled out a handgun. To be honest he never thought he would have to use it. However, there were some crazy people out there and he just kept it there to reassure his mother he could protect himself. The monster smashed its head into the glass again, creating more cracks. Jack held the weapon away from his body and pointed it at the threat. His other hand searched for the door handle and he didn't waste any time opening it. His body fell back out of the car to land on his backside. He scrambled back on the ground until his back hit the trunk of a tree. The living dead moved around the pickup to follow him. Jack kept it at gunpoint.

"Holy shit..." He began to load his handgun, watching the carcass trudge after him on shaky legs. "Get away from me!" It made no difference. The walking dead collapsed in front of him, seeming to have tripped over its feet as it began to crawl towards him once more. "What the hell are you?" He screamed, not expecting an answer at all other than a few strangled noises. Just when he began to get a grasp on the bullet, it slipped from his fingers, "Shit." He reached for it once more, picking it up off the forest-floor while simultaneously keeping an eye on the monster crawling towards him. It was getting closer. "Don't make me do this!" It was loaded; he was going to protect himself if he had to, even if it meant killing.

Just as he thought the creature kept up its pursuit, the thought occurred to him that he'd have to shoot. With a single pull of his forefinger the shot resounded, the side of the corpses head exploding along with its contents. It fell limp as the echo of the gunshot bounced off the trees and deeper into the woods. Jack could feel his heart beat in his skull, his breath labored as he held a hand to his chest. He tossed the gun to the side as reddish brown liquid pooled around his feet. It was blood, but it wasn't fresh.

"…Man." Jack closed his eyes, taking a deep breath once more and lifting himself off the ground. "Oww…shit." He panted, finally looking down. "Ahh…Fuck…My leg." A deep gash had nestled itself into his thigh, it was not bleeding as much as it would have if it was fresh, but Jack had no idea how long he had been stuck in his truck. Not that the machine was of any use to him now, with shape it was in. He looked down to the body of what once was a man. "His skin is all rotten and he smells like shit. What the hell is this?" Jack stepped over him, wincing when he put weight on his injured leg. He scanned his surroundings.

It was a normal forest as far as he could tell, but something about it was familiar. The way the branches curved and the placement of the rocks and trees were all too similar to something else lost in his memory but he could not remember what. His blue irises fell to rest on an old wooden shack, falling apart from age. From where he stood he could make out a sign painted on the wall in navy. It read, 'Jackson's Clubhouse! No Girls Allowed!' He smiled at his old hide-away. This was where he used to play in when he was Emma's age, which meant the house was just over the hill. As unfortunate as this series of events was, he was close to Emma. He just hoped she hadn't come across what he had and that she was okay.

The noise of branches crackling under dead feet sent his heart racing. Another one of those creatures was slinking its way over a boulder towards him, and even more of them where coming out from behind the trees. Jack knew he needed to move as fast as he could now. He had no time to try to kill them all, and besides, he had carelessly tossed his gun to the ground just minutes before. His leg didn't allow him to move any quicker than a fast walk, and it hurt like hell to put weight on it. He kept his eyes ahead of him and he tried to ignore the dreadful cries behind him. One of the monsters that he had failed to spot was waiting in ambush at the side of the trail, lying on its stomach in silence. It reached out a rotten hand to latch onto his foot, pulling him down to the ground. He gave it a quick kick to the face, and climbed back to his feet. Jack let out a quiet whimper, "Sweet Jesus…"

He could see an old fence covered in ivy with scattered paintings across the wooden surface made by himself, the fence around his old house. With the last burst of speed he had, he made a run for it. Jumping up, he grabbed the top, pulling his body over and falling into the back yard with a grunt. The monsters stopped on the other side, banging against the timeworn wood and causing it to screech. Jack stared with his mouth open, watching their shadows through the flaws in the fence. He was certain they were going to break it down and he was about to make his last prayer to God when he heard shots fired in the distance. The corpses stopped, looking in the direction in with the shot rang and marching off on their broken and crippled legs. Jack sighed with liberation and stood once more. They were gone, for now.

The town was dead silent. Atlanta wasn't typically like this. He turned to face the house he grew up in. Emma had to be inside. She just had to. He needed to know she was okay. "Hello? Anybody?" He called out. No one answered. He moved to the deck, climbing the stairs cautiously. The back door would be open. His mother almost never locked it. He placed his hands on the glass and peered into the house. He knocked hastily, "Hello? Emma? Are you in there?" He didn't see any movement inside and a sense of panic washed over him. He pulled the sliding door to the side and stepped into the home. "I'm coming in. Don't be scared." He called, hoping she could hear him.

"Hello? It's me, Jack! I'm not one of them!" He roamed over to the table. A bowl of fruit sat there almost untouched by whatever had occurred to knock over a few dining chairs. "Emma?" He shouted again. Jack moved away from the dining area and started to enter the kitchen only to slip and fall on something. He gulped when he realized it was a pool of blood. "Augh…Ew." He hissed. He used the counter to his advantage and pulled himself to his feet. He had fallen down so much since regained consciousness. It was starting to take a toll on his leg. He wondered what was hiding around the kitchen; he rather wanted to find something to protect himself in case of another encounter. He opened the drawer near the fridge to find one of his old walkie-talkies. He clipped it onto the side of his pants. The other one had to be around somewhere.

A beeping sound came from the living room and he spun around to inspect it, following the noise to the telephone. The answering machine light was blinking. He pressed it.

"Three new messages. Message one left at five-forty-three pm."

"Hey, Sandra, this is Diana. We're still in Savannah. Ed had a little incident with some crazy guy near the hotel, so we had to get him back to the ER and have it checked out. Anyway, he's not feeling well enough to drive back tonight so we're staying an extra day. Thanks so much for looking after Emma when Jack couldn't, and I promise we'll be back in time before your spring break!"

Jack smiled when he heard his mother's voice. It was one of those things people held onto from infancy; the sound of a mother's voice can always calm a nervous child. Nevertheless, something was off, what did she mean by looking after Emma when Jack couldn't? The young man glanced to his watch; it was Friday. He had been unconscious in the car for two days. He brought his hand up to rub his temple, god he wished he had made it to see Emma. But what had happened with his Dad? What kind of incident could have possibly happened in Savannah? Jack hoped it wasn't one of those things.

"Message two left at eleven-nine-teen pm."

"Oh my god, finally! I don't know if you've tried to reach us; all the calls are getting dropped. They're not letting us leave and aren't telling us anything about Atlanta. Please, please, just leave the city and take Emma with you. I've got to get back to the hospital. Please let me know that you're safe."

Jack's teeth clenched and he narrowed his eyes at the device. His mother sounded panicked. So the rise of the dead wasn't just in Atlanta, but possibly all of Georgia. Maybe even the entire United States. The government had better do something, and quick.

"Message three left at six-fifty-one AM."

"Emma? Baby, if you can hear this, call the police. That's 9-1-1. We love you…we love you…we love y-"

And the recording stopped.

Jack's hands clenched the table where the phone rested. He felt tears well up in his eyes. He had no idea whether his parents and Emma were okay and these messages weren't helping him. The call had been cut. He let out a shaky breath, staring at their family picture that stood on the small table. It was after Jack had graduated, he was still in his cap and gown, holding his diploma. Emma stood beside him, the sweetest smile on her face. Their parents were on either side, looking at the camera with pride in their eyes. He'd give anything to go back to that day now, as stupid as he felt wearing the robe.

"Daddy?" A voice came from the walkie-talkie, it was smothered in static but Jack could tell it was female.

"Hello?" Jack answered, walking back to the patio door to look outside, wiping the unshed tears from his eyes. Taking a shaky breath he looked around, he couldn't see anyone in or outside the house that could be talking to him. He knew they were human though, from his experience those creatures couldn't talk. Or at least not with intelligence.

"You need to be quiet." The voice cut him from his thoughts. She spoke in a hushed tone but it was very fast and urgent.

Jack glanced around cautiously, pressing the button to speak again, "I'm not a monster." He assured her. She sounded young.

"Good." She said simply.

"What's your name?" He said, making his way into the living room, he found a bookshelf overturned and the couch cushions tossed around. They were the only signs of a struggle in the house besides the tipped over dining chairs.

"I'm Emma. This is my house." Jacks sighed happily. He could cry right now, just knowing that his baby sister was alive felt like such a heavy weight lifted from his shoulders. He hadn't recognized her voice on the speaker. Still, Emma sounded scared. Jack didn't blame her.

"Hi Emma. I'm Jack." He laughed a little; she obviously had yet to realize it was him either. Oh how he just wanted to be able to hold her, if only he knew where she was.

"Jack?" She asked excitedly. He could imagine the look of pure delight on her face and it made him smile, perfect teeth biting his lower lip a little in eagerness.

"Yeah, it's me." He beamed, "Where are mom and dad?" He began to make his way back into the kitchen, stopping at the sink to look out the window. He figured she should know, they wouldn't have left without telling her where they were going.

"They took a trip and left me with Sandra. They're in Savannah I think. Where the boats are." Emma explained, she didn't sound too sure of herself, but Jack took it anyway. Maybe they could find them somehow.

"Are you safe?" He asked seriously, this was something an older brother should constantly know.

"I'm outside in my treehouse. They can't get in."

"That's smart. Good job." He praised, looking out to her treehouse in the yard. He smiled at her own paintings she had decorated it with, a sun and a tree, growing in a grassy field.

"See? Can you see me? I can see you through the window." He watched as she pressed the door aside and waved to him. She seemed good as far as he could tell. He waved back to her and grinned. Just when he felt at peace though, the small girl let out a shriek and ducked back into her hiding spot.

Jack quickly turned to see another one of those things behind him, about to take a chomp out of his shoulder. He grabbed hold of its wrists and fought back, he could tell who it was; Sandra, the girl next door, his mother hired her to watch Emma. That didn't go well. He gave her a rough shove and she fell back against the kitchen counter, he moved to run to the door only to slip and fall on the pool of blood from earlier, only this time he smacked his head into the countertop, blurring his vision. He could make out the shape of Sandra crawling after him and he gave an aggressive kick to her face, hearing a crunch and knocking her away. He got to his feet again only to have the damn thing grab his foot again. "Ah!"

Once again, in an effort to keep her off him, he punched her away; backing up on his rear towards the door, giving a few more blows when necessary. The door behind him opened and Emma appeared with a hammer.

"H-here!" She spoke fearfully, holding it out to him. He grabbed it from her and smacked it into Sandra's temple. He quickly switched their positions so she was pinned under his right foot. He stood above her and began smashing the tool into her forehead. He hit her a total of four times before she finally stopped moving and he had to fight to remove that hammer from her crushed skull. Blood collected around her.

He leaned over on his knees, panting, "Man…" How many times would he have to do this? Hopefully not many, they reeked. "Hi there." He said, standing up straight again to see his sister.

Emma stepped back away from the forming pool of blood. "Did you kill it?" She asked.

Jack stood silent for a moment, unsure how to answer. He took this time to take in her condition. Her auburn hair was messy and unkempt, tangles visible in the strands of hair. Her sleeveless yellow dress had dirt stains on it from sitting in the treehouse and he could see a few scratches on her bare arms from the branches. "I think something else did. Before me, I mean."

Emma looked up to him, her brown eyes calm and warm. She seemed unfazed by the dead body bleeding out at her feet, "I heard her scream two nights ago. Maybe one of the monster got her."

"Two nights ago?" He raised an eyebrow, "Yeah, that's probably what happened." He kneeled down to her and put a hand on her small shoulder, he brushed some of her hair out her eyes with the opposite hand and looked at her sternly, "You've been all by yourself through this?" His blue irises met her chocolate.

"Yeah. I want our parents to come home now." She looked down to her shoes sadly. Jack could hear the pain in her voice. She wasn't scared of the monsters, she was afraid of being alone.

Jack breathed in through his nose deeply, how could he tell her that their parents were stuck in Savannah? "I think that might be a little while, you know?"

"Oh."

He could see the beginning of tears start to form in her eyes and he bit his lip to chew on the chapped skin. Jack pulled her into a hug, petting her head gently as she sniffled into his shoulder, "Look, I don't know what happened. But I'll look after you until then." He reassured her sweetly.

"What should we do now?" His navy blue button up shirt muffled her voice as she spoke softly.

"We need to find help before it gets dark." He stated, pulling himself away from her to place a chaste kiss on her forehead as if to tell her everything was okay.

"Yeah. It's not safe at night." She agreed, smiling up at him.

He stood and reached for her tiny hand, taking it into his own larger one "Let's go. Stay close to me." He instructed; she nodded her head in understanding. Neither knew what was happening, or how long it would last, but they knew they needed to stay safe. And safety came in groups.

**Finally you guys can read this, I hope you enjoy it! Reviews are appreciated.**


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm not sure when I'll finish chapter three, this one was done quickly due to it already being half finished when I posted chapter one. But more characters are introduced as well, so I hope you like this chapter!**

Jack held Emma's hand as the two walked out the back door and onto the deck. He started to head towards the stairs but the little girl held him back. She stood in the doorway, staring back inside the house. Sandra's body still lay on the floor. Emma looked to him, he gave a small nod and she pulled the door shut. She took a deep breath and blinked at her older brother. He took that as a sign that she was ready to go.

Jack listened to the sounds of their footsteps against the concrete of the driveway. He watched his feet move, glancing to Emma's that we're taking opposite steps from him. While he stepped left, she'd step right and so forth. The faint taps made by their shoes were pleasant to the ears, after what just happened inside it was nice for things to calm down a little bit. Jack's eyebrows knit together in defeat; Sandra was a good girl. He never knew her well but she used to come over help their mother with the garden to earn a bit of extra cash. He talked to her a few times, and he liked her. She was not like the average teenage girl. She thought about others and not just herself. She took time to help her neighbours and she enjoyed making and trying new things. She deserved better than to be turned into one of them and Jack felt awful for having to do what he did. But he felt peace knowing he took her away from it all.

Jack glanced up to the road just before he reached to open the gate and was startled to see two figures out there, he was about to pull Emma out of sight when one grunted as they tried to push the wreckage of a teal car.

"Maaan…" The young girl groaned, brushing her shoulder length red hair away from her face as she wiped sweat from her forehead. She was dressed in a light pink button up blouse and simple black jeans. They had holes worn into them at the knees and they looked to have a bit of mud on them just below said holes as her brown boots protected them up until that point. She seemed to be no older than twenty.

"I ain't ever getting home at this rate." The other complained, crossing his arms as he looked to the girl. He seemed to have an exact opposite sense of fashion. She gave off the country girl feel where as he seemed more rounded to the city. His jeans hung low on his hips, his dark green tee shirt was accompanied by various dog tags on his neck and he also wore fingerless gloves on his hands. His dark brown hair was longer than Jack's. It was shaggy and unkempt with one section pulled into a pony tail on the top of his head.

"This sucks." The girl sighed.

Emma pulled lightly on Jack's shirt and he kneeled down to speak with her, tearing his eyes away from the two in the street.

"Should I stay?" She asked him, turning her head to look back into their yard; the treehouse stared back at them.

"What?" Jack asked.

"I don't want to sleep in the treehouse tonight, but I don't know if I should leave. What if Mom and Dad come home?" She looked him in the eyes. She appeared unsure of what to do, maybe even waiting for Jack to make the decision for her.

"I won't leave you alone." Jack promised, brushing his hand against her cheek to push her hair behind her ear. He needed her to stay calm, the last thing he wanted was for her to get mad at him and cry for their mother.

She beamed up at him and rocked on the balls of her feet happily, "Let's go somewhere safe that's close, ok?"

"That's a good idea." He smiled, standing back up and glancing towards the two people pushing against the car. They had not noticed them yet. Emma rushed ahead and pushed the gate open; it scraped loudly against the concrete.

"Hey man!" Jack called to the strangers, approaching them with Emma tagging along behind.

"Holy shit!" The girl jumped in fright, turning around to face them. The person beside her turned around as well, his eyes were wider than hers and he looked pale just from Jack calling out to them.

"Don't eat us!" He cried holding his hands out in front of his chest defensively.

Jack held his arms up as a sign of peace as he limped towards them, "We're not going to hurt you." He spoke calmly.

"Phew, thought for a second you and the little one were _both_ going to give us the chomp." The red head smiled at them. Jack chuckled at her. Emma gave a little wave.

"We need help." Jack stated. Giving each of them a desperate look and nodded towards his little sister for emphasis. Hopefully they'd have a big enough heart to at least help her.

"Are you trying to get out of here? Cause you should be. Those things are all over the damn place. I haven't seen anything as gnarly as this neighbourhood since downtown Atlanta, fifteen miles back." The woman gave a jerk with her thumb and pointed down the road to show where they had come from. She sounded serious. Jack chewed on the inside of his cheek, so it wasn't just here, and even this was one of the more worse off places. There was a chance of a bit of safety then. The girl continued, "I'm Ella Crood. My friends call me Eep."

"Jack. This is Emma." The white haired male placed his hand on the small girl's shoulders. She did nothing but look shyly to the ground.

The man squatted down and waved to her, "I'm Guy!" He grinned. Emma's lips turned upright in a smile and she hid away behind Jack's healthy leg. Jack laughed to himself. These two seemed nice enough, and Jack wanted all the help he could get. Who knew when he'd come across more people.

"We shouldn't be out in the open like this." Eep suggested, "How about you help us clear the way and we'll take you and your daughter out of here, and down to my family's farm. It should be safer there."

Jack's eyebrows raised at that and he smirked, glancing at Guy before speaking to Eep, "I'm not her Dad, I'm just her brother."

"Her brother?" Eep inquired.

"Yeah." Jack nodded his head, lips forming a thin line.

"You're alone?" Eep didn't give them time to answer before she spoke again, flicking her hair out of her eyes once more, "Let's get going. Staying put for too long is a mistake."

Jack agreed, turning to look down to Emma, "What do you want to do?"

Emma shook her head a little, "I…" Her eyes cast over to the house once more and she looked back to Jack. Jack was about to say that they could stay if she wanted when Guy cut him off.

"Those monsters are coming! We gotta go!" He cried over the moans of the dead. A few were marching their way up the street toward them and Jack put an arm out in front of Emma instinctively.

"Jack, quick! Let's go!" Eep called, she already had her hands placed on the hood of the car wreck, getting ready to push. Jack trudged over as fast as his leg permitted and placed his hands against the car. Guy stood watch. With Eep's help, the two of them gave a strong thrust forward, moving their feet against the asphalt. The car moved slightly. Jack grunted, this wasn't helping his leg. The car continued to roll back until it wouldn't move anymore. When they went to give it a third push, they almost fell over the hood. Jack and Eep gave another push. Their feet kept sliding across the ground, it would not move. Jack could hear the sound of the corpses approaching; they were getting close. Emma was watching from the sidewalk, and after she saw that it wasn't moving she rushed forward and threw herself at it, pushing with all her strength. Finally, the wreck moved again, clearing a path for Eep's red truck.

"Get in!"

Jack seized Emma and boosted her off the ground. He dashed to the car and pulled himself and Emma inside. Eep hurried into the driver's seat while Guy sprung into the truck bed. He held her close to his chest as he stared ahead, he didn't want to look back. Eep fought to get the keys into the slot, cursing under her breath. When they finally slipped inside she slammed her foot on the gas and the pickup burst forward, driving up onto the sidewalk and out onto the street, leaving the monsters behind.

"For just a brother, it seems like you saved a bunch of lives today." Eep panted, blowing her hair away from her green eyes. She pressed harder on the gas a swerved the truck around a turn, smacking into few wooden traffic barriers as she once again flew onto the walkway. Guy bounced in the back; Jack cringed as he heard him groan in agony. He should have tried to squeeze inside. Once they got out onto the main road things calmed down, there weren't many vehicles in the way so Eep could drive smoothly and swiftly.

Jack brushed Emma's hair soothingly and kissed her forehead, "It's okay Emma, they're gone now. I won't let them hurt you." He promised. The little girl's grip tightened on his blue shirt and she nodded her head, hiding her face in his neck.

They drove in silence for a long time, no one spoke a word other than Eep asking Emma occasional questions to keep her distracted from what was out there. Jack appreciated it. Really, if it were just him and Emma in this situation, he would have no idea how to small talk her, considering he knew her well. But Eep was a stranger, therefore she could ask things such as, "How old are you?" or "What's your favourite animal?"

Jack listened to the two girls talk quietly. Emma had slipped out his lap and sat next to the red head, Guy was still sitting in the truck bed, not doing much other than keeping an eye out for danger. Jack closed his eyes as he leaned against the window, the voices of the other two faded out slowly and when he opened his eyes again the sky was dark and they were driving between crops on either side of the road. Emma glanced up to him when she noticed he was awake again, her lips formed a small smile. It was full of fear, her eyes didn't crinkle the same way is she had smiled a happily.

The truck's front wheels turned at the orders of the driver and the vehicle pulled into a driveway. A white house with two floors stood almost untouched by the outside world, the lights shone through the windows, creating a sense of peace and security. A small wooden sign hung by the front door that read "The Croods." It was a simple family home. It was something that calmed the two siblings. A red barn stood off to the side of the house. The faint sound of a horses whinny clued Jack in on the fact that the hooved animals rested inside.

The four humans exited the truck together. Jack helped Emma out and moved over to Eep's side to speak with her. Before he could though, Guy was already making his exit.

"Hey Eep, I'm going to run on home. I'll catch you later." He smiled and turned to look at the white haired male and his sister, "It was nice to meet you both." Emma gave him a wave, followed by Jack and the brunet nodded his head.

"No sweat man, I'll talk to you tomorrow night." Eep agreed, and Guy gave her a quick thumbs up before darting down the road to where ever his own home was. Jack watched him run off until he felt Emma put her hand in his. He squeezed it reassuringly.

The creek of the house door opening caught his attention and he turned in time to see a larger man walk out onto the porch. Jack wouldn't say it was fat either, it was definitely muscle. The man looked ready to pick up the truck they had drove in and toss it a hundred miles. A look of relief was on his face and he smiled, "Thank god you're ok!" He said , rushing up to Eep. He wrapped his arms around her quickly before holding her out in front of him to look her over.

She smirked back at him, "I wouldn't have made it back without Guy,"

"Well I'm glad you took him with you then." He nodded. His hands found his way to his hips as he turned to face the two strangers, "I see you've brought a couple guests…"

Jack smiled, "You're girl is a life saver." He explained.

"Glad she could be some help to somebody." Eep's father said sarcastically, giving his daughter a playful look. She rolled her eyes in response. "So it's just you and your daughter then?" He asked. Jack had a feeling this would become a regular thing.

"Oh! He's not her father, he's just her older brother. He found her alone." Eep clarified happily, smiling at the Overland's.

Her father didn't seem to believe that though and he was soon kneeling in front of the young girl. "Honey, do you know this man?" Jack felt a blood vessel burst in his head. This guy thought he was some creep trying to do something to this little girl. Jack clenched his teeth, biting the tip of his tongue in anger. Offensive much?

"Yes. He's my brother." Emma nodded her head, folding her fingers together with Jack's for emphasis. Jack released a breath he didn't know he was holding, calming down when Eep's father backed off.

"Okay then." He spoke, "Well, looks like you hurt your leg pretty bad there."

Jack cringed with a small laugh, "Yeah, it's not doing so good. Car accident."

"I can help you out. Eep, run on in and check on your brother" He jabbed a finger in the blue eyed man's direction. "You take a seat up on the porch and I'll go see what I have."

The siblings followed the man up onto the front porch. Emma reached for the railing and held onto it as she watched the large man enter his home. Jack took a seat on the bench pushed against the wall and waited. He cast a glance over to Emma. He'd give anything to know what she was thinking right now. He wanted to help her, but he couldn't speak like their mother did. He couldn't calm startled nerves, he couldn't scare away her fears, he couldn't make the monster leave, but he would damn well protect her.

Eep's father returned with a disinfectant and bandages, giving a smile to Emma when he passed her, "Let's have a look." He stated, kneeling in front of the younger male, "Yeah, this is swollen to hell…" Jack winced as he applied the disinfectant through the tear in his pants, it stung, but it wasn't anything too unbearable.

"It hurt's like hell." Jack added.

"I bet it does." The other agreed, beginning to wrap the bandages around the injured leg. "What did you say your name was?"

"It's Jack."

"Nice to meet you Jack, I'm Grant Crood, or Grug, but to be fair I'm not too fond of that name. Something my daughter came up with." He laughed, "Where we're you headed? Before the car accident?"

"I was heading into Atlanta."

"The news says stay where you are." Grant informed, raising an eyebrow.

"I needed to find Emma." Jack reasoned, "I hit a guy, one of those things you've been hearing about on the road."

"Who were you with? Not the girl that's for sure."

"I was alone. I was actually heading in to watch her for a few days." Jack clarified.

Grant nodded understandingly, "House is full with mine. We've got another misplaced family of three sleeping in the barn. You and your sister are welcomed to rest there, when were done here." The man's back straightened and he turned slightly to look at the young girl who had been watch the two for quite some time. "I didn't catch your name darlin'."

"Em-Emma." She stuttered. Jack knew she was never good with talking to new people. But at least she answered.

"I can't imagine what you've been through Emma." Grant sympathized, giving her an apologetic look.

"I'm looking after her. We're trying to find our parents." Jack explained. Grant bowed his head once again.

The sound of footprints marching down the inside hall brought their attention to the door. Eep appeared for the second time that night. "Hey dad, so I've been thinking, first thing tomorrow, we gotta reinforce the fence around the farm." She spoke with uneasiness, clearly she felt the farm needed more security.

"That doesn't seem necessary." Grant countered.

"I don't know what you saw on TV, or heard on the radio but there's some serious-" She paused, glancing to the small child behind her before lowering her voice, "-_Shit _hitting the fan. I don't think anyone knows how serious it is yet."

Jack took this time to join Eep in her fight, "Your daughter's right, you're going to want to fortify this place." The red head smiled at him, obviously appreciating the support.

"Stuff like that doesn't happen around here Ella."

"Dad, I'm serious! Jack, come on, tell him what you saw out there, man!" Eep cried in desperation, yep, her goal was set.

"I was chased by the dead." Jack stated simply, unsure how else to put it. Emma's eyes widened slightly when she heard that and she scooted slightly closer to the group.

Grant sighed, turning away from Jack to face his daughter, "Well, do what you think you should. We got plenty of chores as it is."

"Jack and those folks in the barn can help out in the morning. We gotta do it, really!" Eep continued.

"I already said okay!" Grant snapped, finishing up Jack's bandages as Eep turned back into the house with a silent huff. "Well, I'm all done here. It should start to feel better in the morning." Jack's leg felt better already to be honest. He could only assume the disinfectant had some sort of numbing agent. The man stood, "If your leg gets hot or the swelling doesn't go down; you're probably dealing with an infection."

Jack raised an eyebrow, "What do we do then?" He asked.

"We'll probably just have to shoot you." Both Jack and Emma gasped, Grant laughed, "No, we'll clean it, redress it, and you'll be fine!" Emma furrowed her eyebrows and shook her head, muttering something under her breath.

Jack smiled, "Okay, that'd be preferable. Thanks."

"There's blanket's and such in the barn. We'll be seeing you bright and early." Grant pointed them towards the large building, "Come tomorrow, which way you think their headed?"

"Towards Macon, I suppose." Jack shrugged.

Grant nodded and turned towards Emma, giving her a smile before heading back inside his home. Her older brother stood from the bench and walked over to her. He took her hand gently, "Alright then. Barn it is."

Jack had managed to find two orange sleeping bags inside the large barn and spread them out over the hay for him and Emma. He could see three pairs of feet up on the loft, presumably the other family. Emma curled up on her right side, staring at Jack as he lay down on his own sleeping bag. She took a deep breath but stopped half way.

"It smells like-"

"Shit."

Emma gasped, "That was a swear!"

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't talk like that." Jack laughed, turning to face Emma.

"I miss mom and dad." She said sadly, her eyes downcast.

"I bet Em."

"How far is Savannah?" She asked quietly.

"Pretty far." He said. Emma made a small 'oh' sound. Her eyes had fallen closed now, her breath coming in small puffs as she curled up tighter in her sleeping bag.

Jack laid his head back more comfortably and closed his eyes. He was met with the face of himself during high school. His hood was up and his hair hung over his face, water droplets dripping from the brown strands. It was raining, but that wasn't what things were focused on. He held a gun in his hand. A pistol. It was pointed forward at another person. Someone stood behind him, laughing.

'Hurry up Overland. You know what he owes us. The stuff has been late for long enough.' They said harshly.

'Hand it over!' Jack could hear himself screamed, loading the gun.

'I don't have it, just give me another week! I promise I'll get it soo-'

A shot fired and a body fell to the ground, blood flowing out onto the concrete.

Jack sat up with a gasp, his breath heavy as his eyes flicked over the interior of the barn. Just a dream. He sighed and lay down once more. He hadn't had that dream in years…


	3. Notice

Hello there everyone! Happy Holidays to you all! This is just a bit of an announcement.

I've been fairly busy lately, with Christmas and what not and I'm not quite sure when I'll get chapter three up. It is in the works, probably a little less than half done. I just wanted to let you all know in case your wondering what's taking so long. I've been busy, and I still am. So, for now I'll say that chapter three will be up after Christmas, but I'm not sure when.

So, enjoy your holidays with whatever it is you celebrate, and I'll try to work on it whenever I can!

-Cage


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